Evergreen Times

As a writer, I really love words. I like to read them, and I like to write them. But I’m very well aware that the average person looking for things online doesn’t want to wade through a lot of text. They’re going to hit the landing page on the run, and if it looks like “work” to master its contents, they’ll head elsewhere with equal speed.

Few Words, Massive Impact

When you’re writing blog posts, you’re providing detailed information, or at the very least, hoping to engage your reader’s thought processes. When you’re writing landing pages, you’re looking for at-a-glance recognition, very few words, and a greater focus on symbolism and images.

With few words to work with, landing page content is all about impact. Grab their interest by the ears, as it were. “More information” and “engagement” comes after interest.

I may find it a little disappointing that there’s no room for expansive text, but even as a person who reads more eagerly than most, one glance at a landing page that’s text-heavy doesn’t leave me feeling encouraged.

Perhaps that’s partly because I spend so much time online. I know what a good landing page should look like. To be brutally honest, those big blocks of words leave me with the impression that the website is outdated at best, unprofessional at worst.

Your Brief for Landing Pages

When you get a brief for a landing page, it should tell you the client’s top selling points, the tone of voice they want you to use, the demographic that represents their ideal customer, and the pain points of their target market.

As a writer, you’ll also be looking for an outline showing the topics or elements your client wants to get across as well as the character count they need you to use in order to fit in with the visual impression they want to create.

Expect to Write Several Drafts

You have to understand them. Your clients are busy people and they aren’t commercial writers. They give you the basics. It doesn’t mean they’ll like the results. What they know they want in their heart of hearts may differ significantly from what they said they wanted.

That’s their prerogative. After all, it’s their website. So, even if you did exactly as you were told and offered three or more alternatives, large chunks of your work might just hit the cutting room floor and you may even have to redo some sections from scratch. It won’t happen if the brief is clear and represents what they really want, but quite frequently, their idea is “idea draft one.”

Cost is Hard to Estimate

It can be very difficult to calculate a quote for writing landing pages and website copy. I’ve experienced everything ranging from first-draft approval to multiple reworks, tweaks and tidies. Unfortunately clients usually want an upfront quote, and that’s where things get difficult.

Not only does it take much longer to polish each phrase used on a landing page than it would if you were just writing a blog post, but what happens after that is anyone’s guess. I have the most success when I am able to get to know the customer, can view the wire frame with its placeholder text, and am allowed to work directly with the website designer.

My rule of thumb is to charge double my usual rate per word because landing page text takes twice as long to craft. I then allow for two revisions at no additional cost. After that, it’s up to my clients. If they change their minds about what they want, I’m open to helping them, but there will be an additional fee. I think that’s fair. What do you think?